Essay on Characterization in Oedipus the King and Homers...

Characterization in Oedipus the King and Homers Odyssey The characters in a novel or play are attributed certain characteristics by the author. The opinions one might form of a character are based on these; therefore, the characteristics suggested by an author are intrinsic to the reader having a complete and subjective understanding of a work. Characteristics are often displayed through a character s actions, in what is said about them, and what they themselves say, which shall be the focus of this essay. Both Oedipus, in Sophocles King Oedipus and Odysseus, in The Odyssey of Homer, oftenare spoken of by others, but their own words are telling, as certain emotions and traits can be seen. Traits of a character can often be†¦show more content†¦Believe me, I know All that you desire of me, all that you suffer; And while you suffer, none suffers mote than I. (lines 51-53) Those lines are telling of Oedipus character. Through them, we learn that he sincerely has love and respect for his people. Odysseus shares the same love of his homeland, his people, and his wife. He says that it is his never-failing wish to see the happy day of (his) return (93). Odysseus also, in conversation with King Alcinous of the Phaecians, again shows us his love of his home land: So true it is that his motherland and his parents are what a man holds sweetest, even though he may have settled far away from his people in some rich home in foreign lands. (140) Although not clearly laid out for all to see, it is no less evident that he feels a certain respect, perhaps even servitude, to his country from which he has been absent so long. Each of our heroes profess this duty, devotion, and patriotism, on an individual and on a larger scale. That they both profess this of themselves (particularly in the case of Oedipus, who portrays himself as the ideal leader, suffer ing along with his people) says little of the humility of either character. However, humility is a trait one would be hard- pressed to find in either of these rulers. A devotion of one s self to family and country is a part of each of these characters,